Tag Archives: santa cruz mountains

It’s Sunday night and I’m already sore. Except this time it’s not my legs, but my arms and back that remind me of time well spent on the bike. This weekend I finally made it back out on the dirt. The calendar may say it’s only been a few weeks since I’ve ridden my mountain bike, but my upper body begs to differ.

Riding dirt trails is different and it’s not just that you work different muscles (which you do). It’s different because it takes you away from the noise, stress and annoyance of sharing your ride with cars and trucks. Plus the scenery in the Santa Cruz Mountains is gorgeous, no matter how many times you’ve ridden the trails.

Cindy and I rode the trails along Long Ridge out to Saratoga Gap on the southern ridge of the San Francisco Peninsula. It’s a favorite route for both of us: rolling terrain that’s easy technically, but punctuated by rocky sections that challenge us when we’re in the mood and feeling confident.

Having neglected my mountain bike far too much this year, I’ll admit I wasn’t pushing my edges on the rocky sections. But after a taste of dirt this weekend, I can tell you I’m coming back for more soon, rocks and all.

The summer is almost over. What do you wish you’ve done more this season? Is it too late?

We avoided the crowds and started at the Long Ridge trailhead.

From Turtle Rock, we could see over Big Basin to the Pacific Ocean.

We had clear skies the whole ride, but the fog never cleared from the coast.

Nearly 32,000 Americans die in car crashes annually. 80% of car crashes are PREVENTABLE. If the TOASTER was killing that many people we'd think it was ridiculous. We'd un-plug it and say, let's Fix The Toaster.